


A Wonderful Misunderstanding

by Sayuri_no_Hanataba



Category: Pandora Hearts
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-17
Updated: 2017-03-17
Packaged: 2018-10-06 14:19:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10336499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sayuri_no_Hanataba/pseuds/Sayuri_no_Hanataba
Summary: Pre-Abyss. It's a lovely day, but Oz knows it could've been better had his precious Gil been by his side. Speaking of Gilbert, the young servant was nowhere to be found. Eventually Oz does finds him stuck in one of the most unusual of places. Oz must now save him, which eventually leads to a wonderful misunderstanding on Gilbert's part.





	

Oz stretched his arms above his head with a wide grin on his face. It was a peaceful day; the kind where the weather was just right and there was nothing that acted as a bother to the young Vessalius heir, so Oz couldn't have been happier.

...On second thought. Maybe if he hadn't been trying to hide from the infernal Mrs. Kate and if his beloved servant was by his side, he would've been in bliss.

Oh well, thought Oz. He was sure that Gilbert was probably waiting for him somewhere, since Oz was supposed to be having his daily lessons with Mrs. Kate right now. All he had to do was look around hard enough, and then he would drag Gil off somewhere secluded to play. So far, Oz had searched all over the mansion's interior but Gilbert was nowhere to be seen. That left outside the mansion, mainly in one of the gardens or maybe even the surrounding forest.

Oz stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a faint, high-pitched shriek.

He instantly recognised that voice. It belonged to Gilbert. And judging by the direction of the sound, it seemed to have come from somewhere behind the mansion. Oz quickly broke into a sprint, ignoring the several warning cries of other servants complaining that he would be in trouble if Mrs. Kate caught him running down the halls. Oz promptly ignored them. He felt a pang of guilt for seeming rude but right now Gil was much more important than anything else.

Oz emerged outside and treaded cautiously on the neatly trimmed lawn for some time, looking for any sign of Gilbert. Apart from a small brown cat that was sitting near a tree licking its paw and grooming itself, Gilbert was nowhere to be found. Oz tried calling out for his best friend, and almost immediately heard Gilbert's distressed voice calling out to him in response.

"Y-young Master!"

Oz's eyes darted from left to right, but he saw no one. Gilbert called him again, a little louder this time, and that's when Oz noticed that the voice was coming from _above_. Oz trailed his gaze upwards and gasped in surprise when he saw Gilbert sitting in a tree, perched atop a large, thick branch.

He briefly wondered how on earth the usually frail and unenergetic boy even managed to get up there.

"Gil! What happened?" asked Oz, but then realisation hit him a heartbeat later when he recalled the brown cat. Still, he had to confirm it with Gil just to be sure.

"Y-young Master, I...! I was- I had- I-"

"Gil! Calm down! Take a deep breath and start from the beginning." Then, "And call me Oz!"

Gilbert obediently did as he was told and after only a few seconds of hesitation, he began his short tale.

"I-I had been reading a book in my room since it was time for your lessons but a few minutes later M-Mrs. Kate came in and told me she couldn’t find you s-so she told me to help her look.”

The young servant paused, fat tears welling up in the corner of his eyes. “I decided to check the forest at one point but before I could get there, I spotted a c-c-ca-cat a-and it s-s-saw me too.”

Gilbert was starting to sniffle and hiccup at this point, doing his best not to cry. “It suddenly started coming close and I tried to run away, b-but I realised my back was up against the tree s-so I..."

"So you climbed up the tree?" finished Oz, with a hint of incredulousness in his voice.

Gilbert simply nodded in response, and Oz shook his head with a sigh. But his lips couldn’t help but curl into a fond smile at his cute servant's antics.

_"Leave it to Gil to somehow brighten my day without even trying."_

"Y-young Master Oz! Please save me!" begged Gilbert, who was practically crying now.

Oz snapped back to reality at the quivering sound of his best friend’s desperate request. He bit his lip in some vague attempt to hold back the mischievous grin triggered by the fat tears rolling down Gil's face and that rosy, embarrassed blush that dusted his delicious cheeks.

Oz felt a shiver run down his spine as he took in all those features.

Oh, Gil was absolutely _wonderful_ when he begged like that.

Unknowingly letting his sadistic side take over, Oz promptly refused Gil's plea for help to which the raven-haired boy cried out a "why?" of protest. The blonde just smirked before saying, "I don't see why I should", teasingly.

Gil barely skipped a heartbeat. "Please, Young Master Oz! I-I'll do anything!"

Oz's eyes glinted impishly. "Really? Anything?"

"Yes, a-anything!"

_"Well, technically,”_ thought Oz, _“he has to do anything I say since he's my servant. But still, this could be fun~"_

Deciding that he had seen Gilbert beg enough, Oz pretended to ponder over it for a minute before speaking. "For starters, I want you to call me just Oz. How many times must I ask you to do that anyway?" he finished with an annoyed pout.

"S-sorry Young Ma- I mean..." Oz looked at Gilbert expectantly, until the younger boy finally mumbled shyly. "O-Oz…"

"Good. Now, I'll save you, but only if you promise never to help Mrs. Kate look for me ever again!"

"Eh?! B-but that's-"

"If you don't agree then I suppose I'll just leave and-"

" _Okay_ , _okay!_ I agree! I won't help her!"

" _And_ ," added Oz, stressing on that one-syllable word with a lilt of triumph in his voice, "You're going to play with me when I don't feel like taking my lessons."

Gilbert nearly protested again. _Nearly._ But the thought of being left alone with a cat terrified him to the point that he couldn't have cared less about what the consequences were as long as Oz could save him from that heinous creature.

With a hearty laugh of amusement at Gil’s terribly-concealed morphing facial expressions, Oz scooped up the little brown cat that had been observing their exchange curiously with its large, amber eyes. It gave a tiny mewl of protest when it no longer felt solid ground beneath its paws but Oz swiftly took it away towards the mansion.

Upon Oz’s return, Gilbert hesitantly asked if it was really gone to which the blonde gave him a wide grin and a thumbs up. Gilbert released a soft sigh, shoulders instantly sagging with relief. He then moved to get down from the tree, but within a few a seconds, it dawned to him that he didn’t know how. Noticing the delay, Oz called out for him questioningly.

"Gil? What are you waiting for? Come down here and let's go play!"

"O-Oz, I can't!" cried Gil weakly after a pause.

"What?" exclaimed Oz; puzzled by the response.

"I can't get down! I'm stuck!" Gilbert's eyes widened in fear as an ominous thought hit him "I'm going to be stuck in this tree forever!"

"D-don't be silly, Gil!" scolded Oz half-heartedly. He would've teased Gilbert for his childishness too, had he not been a bit anxious himself.

It then briefly occurred to Oz that despite his hatred for cats, Gilbert ironically seemed remarkably like one himself, stuck up in a tree and unable to come down. The brief anxiety faded, quickly replaced by a strange warm feeling that diffused in his chest whenever his best friend did something endearing.

Suddenly Oz had a lightbulb moment.

"Gil! I know how to get you down!"

"R-really?" asked Gil hopefully.

All the colour drained from his face in an instant. "No!" refused Gil, flat-out. "There's no way I could do that!"

"Wh-why not?" asked Oz, slightly taken aback at the abrupt refusal.

"Because! B-because I might end up hurting the Young Master!" Gilbert exclaimed, before adding, in a much quieter voice, "A-and it's scary..."

Oz facepalmed. "Oh, c'mon Gil! I'll be fine. Just do it!"

"No," he repeated with worry written all over his face. Oz grumbled in annoyance before saying, "Gil, I want you to jump. That's an order."

The blonde smiled in triumph when he saw Gilbert stiffen a bit as his words sunk in, and just as expected, they did the trick. Gilbert shakily stood up, leaning against the tree bark for support before leaning forward a little. The branch he was perched on wasn't that high up from the ground but nevertheless, Gilbert quickly jerked back at the thought of jumping.

"Gil, relax!” exclaimed Oz sharply, sensing the younger boy’s fear. “Don't hesitate otherwise you might mess up and hurt yourself. So have some confidence in yourself, alright?” Beaming, he added “And have faith in me. I'll definitely catch you."

Gilbert nodded wordlessly before taking a deep breath and sneaking one last look down at Oz, who was waiting with his arms outstretched. Then, spurred on by his Master’s encouragement and sunny smile, Gilbert took a literal leap of faith.

The young servant sailed straight into Oz who managed to latch onto Gilbert with a muffled grunt. But the height at which his best friend jumped combined with the force of gravity was too much for Oz, causing him to fall onto his back rather hard with Gilbert still in his arms.

Gilbert had shut his eyes tight the second his feet parted with the branch, finally opening them again once he felt his world still. But they went wide as tea saucers when he saw Oz below him, mouth twisted in a wince and eyes scrunched shut.

Before Gilbert had time to panic over his Master's well-being, however, the proximity of their faces registered to him. That’s when he noticed that he was sprawled across Oz’s chest, causing an embarrassed blush to spread up to his ears and his heart race. He immediately straightened, straddling Oz with his legs on either side of the boy's hips to put some distance between their faces.

"O-Oz! Are you alright?”

Said boy let out a soft groan before opening his eyes and slowly moved to sit up a bit. He hissed quietly at the effort and shifted to support his weight on his left arm.

“Are you in pain? I-is there anything I can do for you to make it go away?" inquired a distressed Gilbert.

Oz forced a tiny smile before saying, "Don't worry, Gil. I just hit my elbow, that's all. I'll be fine," he finished, with much more confidence. Then, without thinking, he added offhandedly, "Though, I'd be much better with a kiss~" before laughing off the not-so-subtle pain beginning to grow in his elbow.

When he didn't get a response from Gilbert after several seconds, Oz tried to peer at the boy's face. Gil had his head hung forward, causing a curtain of raven locks to block out his expression. But after ducking his head low enough, Oz made out what seemed to be a contemplative and hesitant look on his best friend’s face, as well as a prominent blush painting his cheeks.

"Gil?"

There was a long pause. Oz was about to ask what was wrong but before Gilbert suddenly raised his head, gently gripped Oz's shoulders and leaned forward to press their lips together.

Oz gasped at Gil’s gentle, feather-soft touch. The shock made his arm turn into jelly and it gave out, unable to support the combined weight of the boys. Oz fall back once more, taking his servant with him.

Gilbert instinctively clung onto the blonde, the momentum of the fall causing his lips to press against Oz’s even firmer. Oz’s entire face was as red as a tomato now because of how unintentionally deep their kiss had become.

Both boys stayed like that for what seemed like eternity. Neither could distinguish the heat from their own cheeks from that of the other. Likewise, their breaths mingled, an unfamiliar experience that had their hearts racing a mile a minute.

Gilbert was the first one to react, pulling back with a deep gasp. Fearing that he had nearly suffocated Oz by smothering his lips for so long, the young servant rapidly began stuttering apologies. Oz could only stare up at him, dazed.

Eventually, Oz snapped out of it and asked, "G-Gil... Why did you k-kiss me?"

Gil’s incessant stammering came to screeching halt, and he looked confusedly at Oz. "I-isn't that what you wished for, Oz?"

Oz was at a loss for words. "…I-I-"

"Or maybe I did it wrong?" wondered Gilbert aloud to himself. His face creased in concentration as he began muttering under his breath. "No, I'm sure that's how Uncle Oscar taught me..."

Unfortunately, Oz's sharp hearing picked up Gilbert's monologue. "Gil!” cried Oz, horrified. “What do you mean how Uncle Oscar 'taught you'? H-he didn't... And you... Not with him?!" blurted Oz, as he gazed at Gil with a look of horror.

"What are you talking about, Oz?" asked Gilbert, genuinely confused.

"No, what are _you_ talking about, Gil? What's all this about Uncle Oscar 'teaching' you?"

Gilbert blinked, apparently unfazed by Oz’s distress. "Oh, that. You see, one day Uncle Oscar took me with him down to the village square. We passed by the park and I saw two people sitting beneath  a secluded tree, doing something. When I asked Uncle Oscar what they were doing, he said they were kissing."

_"Kissing? What's that?"_

_"Why, Gilbert, don't you know? It's the second most amazing way to show someone that you love and care about them."_

_"Second? What's the first?"_

_"You're too young to know about that right now~"_

_"Oh... I see. I think. Um, U-uncle Oscar?"_

_"Hm?"_

_"H-how do you k-kiss someone?"_

_"Oh, that's simple! You just press your lips against theirs. There are various types of kisses as well, buuuut I think that's all you need to know for now."_

It only took seconds before Uncle Oscar figured out why the young servant had asked him such a question. The rest of their time together was spent with the older man pestering Gil to tell him who his little Gil wanted to show his love to. Gilbert had stammered in embarrassment claiming that there was no such person. But in the back of his mind he figured that if kissing was the second best way to show someone that you love them then perhaps he would kiss Oz someday.

Of course, Gil never mentioned the rest of the conversation to Oz.

Oz, on the other hand, was absolutely dumbstruck. How could anyone be so innocent? It was unbelievable. But it also made his heart skip a beat. The embarrassment and confusion written all over his servant's face just made his precious Gil seem even more endearing than he already was. Because of that, Oz didn’t dare correct Gil by pointing out that Uncle Oscar was probably talking about a different kind of love. He also didn’t clarify that he meant a kiss to his elbow, or the significance of a kiss on the lips.

Smiling to himself, Oz moved to get up. Gilbert quickly got off him and helped his master stand up, keeping one hand on Oz's shoulder and the other on his arm to steady him. The blonde straightened and pretended to busy himself by dusting down his pants, avoiding his friend’s eyes. Gil mimicked his actions and brushed blades of grass off his shorts, oblivious to the observant emerald eyes that were peering at him beneath sunny bangs.

Suddenly Oz leaned in and softly pecked Gil’s lips, before pulling back just as quickly. He spun on his heel, back facing the younger boy to hide the faint hue of red beginning that bloomed across his cheeks.

"Don't worry, Gil,” began Oz. “You were right. That's exactly what I wished for!” He twirled and grabbed onto Gil’s arm, dragging the younger boy back with him to the mansion with a wide grin. What he said was no lie, because the giddy sense of happiness bubbling within him dulled the pain he felt in his elbow.

“From now on it's your duty to kiss me whenever I get hurt!” declared Oz. Then, he quietly added, "But, uh, you are only to do so when we're alone."

"Yes, Oz... Eh?" Gilbert stopped in his tracks and tilted his head to the right. "Alone? Why?" he asked, as clueless as ever.

But Oz was already tugging him along once more, much happier than he had been when the day had started.

_“Stray cats are common on these grounds, but who knew that Gil having an encounter with one would lead to such a wonderful misunderstanding?”_


End file.
